Three Graves
by MaintainPressure
Summary: In the Land of Rivers, Hirohashi Sadako lives a quaint life with her family; but with a past shrouded in mystery, her situation is only made worse by a village that shuns her. Still, Sadako is content with her life - until tragedy strikes. Now, revenge is her only ally, and justice is her sole reason for living. "When seeking revenge, dig two graves - one for yourself."
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

PLEASE READ!

This fanfic has been tagged with hurt/angst and tragedy. This story is primarily one of suffering and overcoming obstacles; it is going to get heavy and very dark at some points. Consider this your warning. If you are easily bothered by character deaths than I suggest you back away slowly and pretend you never saw this fanfic. However, please know that everything I write happens for a reason. I don't just insert disturbing content for kicks.

That being said, I hope you do read and enjoy this fic. Please let me know your thoughts by leaving a review. Happy (or not so happy) reading!

 _Note: I do not own Naruto, nor any of the characters._

* * *

 **Chapter One**

It was a beautiful day in the Land of Rivers, the sun shining merrily upon the land dotted with an abundance of wildlife and modest cottages alike. All across the region farmers were busily preparing crop for the coming winter, which was rumoured to be one of the coldest ever felt in these parts. Passing travellers couldn't fail to notice the exceptionally green pastures that decorated the countryside, nor the bright smiles and waves that greeted them each time they passed through a small town. The Land of Rivers was a thriving community; ever since the beginning of the Fourth Shinobi World War they had played a major role in food supply, and hence had become the number one export of crop in the world.

Such strenuous demands from neighbouring nations should have crippled the small community quickly, but oddly, the pastures were denser than ever with vegetables. Upon inquiry, citizens laughingly brushed off strangers' qualms, claiming they were simply a resilient country. Their excuses were not lost on more than one traveller, however, who could have sworn they saw a sprouting vegetable grow before their very eyes. Even the weather seemed to be aiding the country's plight, with the wind blowing in bizarre, conflicting directions, and small pockets of rain falling here and there at certain points across the land.

It was small factors such as these that labelled the Land of Rivers as a mysterious nation, full of strange wonders and sights. Hence the country was often caught beneath the eye of a greedy tradesman and, in a few instances, more than one audacious Kage.

This story takes place in the Village Hidden in Valleys where, in the midst of the morning hustle and bustle, a small girl no older than the age of eleven stood gazing around at the vast arrangement of shops in wonder. Amari Sadako sighed as she beheld the sight – mind clouded by childlike delight, she was abruptly shoved from her stupor by a man carrying a crate laden with vegetables.

"Hey, watch yourself, girl! People are walking here." He huffed, glowering down at her before he realised exactly who he'd bumped into. The man snickered once, contemptuously, and continued on his way.

Sadako wanted to kick the man for his rude intrusion on her brief moment of happiness, but upon noticing the bulging muscles in his arms, wisely decided against the action. Instead she threw a glare at his back, muttering to herself about thoughtless grown-ups, and made her way through the crowd to a shop stocking the items that her parents had specifically instructed her to buy.

' _Well,'_ she thought to herself as she loaded her arms with potatoes and rice, _'Not really my parents… More like guardians.'_

Instantly there was an image of Masumi's retaliation, making her wince as though she'd actually felt the blow from the evil wooden contraption that barely passed for a cooking utensil. As a result of repetitive trialling, Sadako had quickly learned to keep such thoughts to herself. Masumi hated it when she tactlessly pointed out the one glaring flaw in their relationship, and at one point had even attempted to redefine the meaning of 'mother' to better suit their circumstances. Secretly, Sadako loved her all the more for her stubborn denial of the truth. It somehow made the illusion of 'family' she lived under seem almost real.

The girl took her supplies to the counter and paid for them, shifting from one foot to the other impatiently, already debating in her head what to buy for herself. It was that time of the month – the one where she was permitted to buy one gift as a reward for all her hard work on the farm – and hence she was eager to see what the town had to offer before everything shut for the day.

Gathering her supplies, she headed out of the food store and immediately began shooting from one shop to the next like a hyperactive canine. At first it was shoes, then she happened to catch sight of a pretty watercolour painting of a fish, and then a bouquet of cherry blossoms snatched her attention. As she made her way down the streets of Tanigakure, the many other citizens repeatedly jostled her on all sides, and at one point the only thing that kept her from kicking the shins of a particularly ignorant teenage boy was the warning her parents had extended to her earlier that morning.

" _Sadako-chan, try to keep to yourself today, alright? Don't do anything that might… cause you to stand out. Overly much._ " The strange tone of Hiroki's voice coupled with Masumi's concerned expression had surprised her, further cementing the request in Sadako's mind.

Still, the warning wasn't enough to deter the girl from enjoying herself immensely; she couldn't remember the last time the couple had asked her to go into town by herself. Concerned onlookers could almost see a wagging tail attached to the small girl who had her nose pressed up against the glass of a shop, which was stocking an assortment of elixirs. After successfully placing name to face, mother's none-too-discreetly pulled their children closer to their sides, chiding them quietly when they tried to sneak a peak at the girl.

Meanwhile Sadako was clutching her head in confusion, wracked with indecision on what to buy, when her dark eyes fell upon a small store that was selling shinobi weaponry. Her already large eyes widened even more, and unconsciously her feet moved to take her across the busy street. Something, some hidden instinct, was pulling her closer, a movement she didn't even try to stop and identify. It was pulling… pulling her… closer…

– WHAM! –

The sudden impact from her left side sent the girl flying at least three feet before her bottom met the ground harshly. "Oof!" She rubbed at her throbbing hip and glared up at the stranger who was staring down at her with a mildly surprised expression.

Sadako had time to briefly entertain the fact that this stranger was probably what older girls would consider 'sooooooo handsome', before her eyes fell to the terrible, messy scene at her feet.

"Oh, no…" she groaned despondently and quickly sat up, attempting in vain to salvage what she could from the wasted rice that was scattered across the dusty ground. But the entire bag had spilled out from the impact of the man colliding with her, and dust coated almost every grain. That rice had not been cheap – nearly her entire earnings for the month.

 _Ah, Masumi-chan's gonna kill me…!_

"Are you all right?"

The stranger's low, hypnotic voice was what pulled her from her mental turmoil – and not in a good way. She'd officially had it with people being in such haste to get where they were supposedly needed, that they spared no consideration for others on their own paths. Springing to her feet, she snatched up the untouched potatoes and pointed an accusing finger up at him, aiming it right at his patrician-like nose.

"Clueless bastard! This is your fault! That rice was our only food supply for a month; now because of you, my family and I are all going to starve to death! What do you have to say for yourself, huh?" When he just stared down at her with that same mildly perplexed face, as though she was a fly that had learned to speak, Sadako scowled and spat at his feet. "I hate people like you, who never bother to think before they act! You don't stop to consider the consequences of your actions, or how they impact other people besides yourself, do you? Why do you people have to exist? Selfish ass!"

It wasn't until then that Sadako began to notice the small crowd that had paused their activities to witness the heated exchange that was happening between them. Some people, quickly recognising Sadako, bent to whisper to their companions whilst flicking wary glances her way.

Suddenly a voice reached her ears; it was quiet, but unfortunately not quiet enough. "Hey, isn't that the girl who set the windmill a small ways out of town on fire?"

"Yeah," another masculine voice replied. "Burned the whole thing down in less then a minute."

Hearing the barely-whispered words, Sadako's spine went ramrod stiff. _Not this again…_

"Whoa, seriously? I never knew that. Is that even possible?"

"Some troublesome technique passed down through her family, no doubt." Other voices joined in, until the whole area was a cacophony of hushed voices blurring together in Sadako's head and dulling each one of her senses.

"– Wasn't she also responsible for the bushfire on old Matsumoto's farm –"

"– The one that burned nearly half of their crops to ash –"

"– Whoa, didn't they have to pay for that?"

"What a terrible thing to do!"

"Lordknows we don't got the time or resources to go cleanin' up after her mess…"

Sadako could feel her hands trembling slightly; not with fear, but an all-consuming anger. Dimly she could feel a welling sensation in her gut, and knew it was coming. The terrible rage that seized her and caused the unnatural fires to happen – she could feel the tingling in her palms – once again it was going to take control of her.

" _Don't do anything that might… cause you to stand out._ "

 _No!_ she internally shouted. They'd asked only that of her. There could be no more accidents, not when her parent's reputation was on the line!

Sadako fought against the sensations, gritting her teeth against the pain that flared. "Go to hell!" she shouted at no one in particular, and spun on her heel to dash away into the crowd. The people parted before her as though she was diseased, and in some ways, that wasn't far from the truth.

The only difference between her condition and a disease was that the people around her died, not she.

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha was not one prone to surprise; the last truly shocking thing that had happened to him had been two years ago, when Naruto handed him his thought-lost forehead protector to take with him on his journey. Since then the only encounters he'd had with other people – not counting those he disposed of – were to buy food and other supplies, or enduring a string of insults from people who recognised him as the infamous shinobi he was. But after this incident, he believed he could successfully cross 'clueless bastard' off the list of insults regularly flung at him.

The raven-haired Uchiha sighed a little as the girl sprinted away, her wild black hair blowing behind her. _What a strange kid…_ Suddenly he noticed that the majority of people gathered were also staring after her retreating form, only they were doing so with a look in their eyes far different from his. While his held mild curiosity, they seemed to be all-out glaring, some even shaking their heads in disgust.

From his right a woman suddenly noticed him, taking in his athletic form and classically handsome features. A few moments later she was before him, bowing a little and smiling apologetically.

"I'm sorry you had to witness that, sir. You're not from around here, are you?" When he just gazed down at her neutrally, she cleared her throat. "I can usually tell a Tanigakure visitor from its citizens, and I take it upon myself to welcome them to the village. But first, I feel I should warn you, that girl… See, she's what one might call a – menace. Please, don't pay any mind to her thoughtless words."

"What makes you think that?" he inquired softly.

The woman swayed a little at the sound of his smooth, rhythmic tone. He waited impatiently for her to gather her wits again. "Oh, you see, the girl brings naught but bad luck to the farmer's around here. It's best if you don't associate yourself with her."

Sasuke couldn't deny that his interest was piqued, if only a little. "Did she do something?"

"Well, a few months ago there was a large fire that burned down a windmill on a nearby farm, and we found her at the scene. And before that," she continued on eagerly, "Another fire that burned through farmer Matsumoto's vegetables. Again she was there, trying to put the fire out before anyone noticed." The woman shook her head at the memory.

"And you're sure this wasn't just an accident? Perhaps the girl was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

She shook her head emphatically, and then leaned closer as though to impart to him a secret. Sasuke fought the urge to lean away. "You see, when she was found at the windmill, witnesses say that her _arms_ were on fire. But when the fire burned out, there wasn't a single scorch mark on her! Isn't that strange? Too strange, if you ask me. Best to keep away from that sort of thing."

Sasuke's eyes lifted to try and spot the girl again, but she was long gone from his sight. "And she's still allowed to live in the village?"

"Oh no," the woman laughingly denied, waving her hands dismissively. "She lives on a farm a ways from the village. We make sure to point it out to newcomers so they know not to venture too near; it's bad for the business, if you know what I mean."

As the woman glared in disgust at the mess that had been left in wake of the incident, Sasuke studied her profile silently, and quickly recognised the glint of hostility that entered her eye.

"Thank you for your advice. I must be going now."

Just as he turned away, she said, "Wait! One more thing."

"Yes?" he asked, barely sparing her a glance over his shoulder.

"I feel I should warn you… There have been sightings of outlaws in the area, intercepting travellers on the roads and robbing them of their possessions. There have… even been cases of missing girls after they passed through a small town. Please be careful on your journey, lest you be made a victim of their savagery." This time her eyes were filled with genuine concern, pleading with him to heed her words.

He nodded once and strolled away, while in his mind he turned the information over and over. But his musings were soon replaced by the incident from this morning, a similar scene which had played out in his own village over and over again. He'd seen the same look in the eyes of his own people many times.

" _Go away_ ," it said. " _Why are you even here?_ "

* * *

Under the slight coolness of the late-afternoon sun, a desolate Sadako dragged her feet. In a few more kilometres she would finally arrive home, where she would hesitantly begin to explain the events of this morning to Masumi and accept the consequences that followed. More than likely her mother-figure would be more disappointed than angry, which somehow made her feel worse than if she dashed her over the head with that evil wooden spoon. Still, Sadako found herself more disheartened by the fact that she hadn't managed to buy her present in town.

"Damn that stupid bastard," she muttered to herself, scuffing at a rock on the path. "He ruined everything. I should've chewed him out more, made him pay for the rice." But as Sadako recalled the exact words she'd imparted to the stranger, a small blush stained her cheeks. "Well, maybe I over-exaggerated about the whole starving-to-death thing…"

"How reassuring," a smooth voice said from her right. Her eyes whipped to the shadow that was leaning casually under a tree holding a straw bag in his hand.

Sadako quickly recognised him as the stranger from earlier this morning, and had to swallow back her squeak of surprise. "I-It's you…"

When there was no reply, she glanced around uneasily. "Are you following me?" She abruptly shifted into a fighting stance, holding her tiny fists up in front of her face. "Do you mean me harm?" Perhaps he'd taken her earlier words a little too seriously.

The man merely stared down at her with one eye peaking through his long black bangs until she straightened, tilting her head at him. "What do you want?"

When the stranger spoke, his voice was soft, yet there was a slight inflection in his tone that suggested arrogance. Sadako realised that this man was probably quite used to getting his way.

"From your words earlier, you suggested that rice was important to your family. You might be punished for something that wasn't your fault."

Her eyes flicked to the bag he was now holding aloft; for a moment, she was tempted to take it, leaning forward slightly, before rocking back on her heels and sighing once. "Thanks, but… I can't accept it. We aren't really gonna starve to death because of a bag of rice," she muttered. "Besides, I wasn't looking where I was going, so I suppose it's my fault, too..."

He shrugged once. "Suit yourself."

Suddenly an image of Masumi's unhappy face popped into her head, and her nerves overcame any inhibitions she might have had. "Hey, wait! M-Maybe I could pay you for it?"

"Why don't you just take it?" he asked, tone becoming slightly impatient.

Sadako glowered up at him. "Because I don't take charity! And that's what this is."

The man sighed. "Fine, pay me for it, then."

Sadako couldn't help her small grin as she dug around in her shorts, but it quickly melted away into a frown when she found no distinct lumps lining her pant pockets. Turning slightly panicky she patted all the way down her legs before reluctantly admitting defeat.

"Uh, _gomen_ , I think I lost my purse…"

He gave her a strange look. "You really are quite slow."

"I probably lost it when you walked into me!" Sadako exclaimed heatedly. When he just stared at her, she sighed and rubbed her neck. "All my savings were in there, too…"

Sadako chewed her lip thoughtfully for a moment, debating her options as he simply stared at her, waiting for a response. Slowly, an idea formed in her mind and, much as she disliked the plan, she reluctantly said, "Uh, how about… Would… you like to join my family and I for dinner tonight?"

"No," the man replied.

Sadako blinked; she hadn't expected his rejection to be so swift. "Why not?"

"I have things to do tonight."

"Oh yeah?" she questioned, eying him suspiciously. "Like what? Trample over someone else's child?"

A pale hand lifted to massage the bridge of his nose. "You're being annoying."

"What's so hard? Just say yes and you can experience the most delicious curry you've ever had!" A sly grin decorated her innocent features. "Masumi-chan makes the best in the village."

When he just stared at her, Sadako turned pleading. "Come on, what have you got to lose? You can count this as your apology for knocking an innocent kid to the ground, humiliating her in front of everyone…" She pouted for effect.

A perfectly formed black brow lifted in response. "I thought you were accepting part of the blame?"

Sadako waved her hand in the air dismissively. "Let's not agonise over the finer details, alright?"

The raven-haired man considered her for a moment, and then shrugged away from the tree to stand before her. "Fine. I'll stay for one meal."

She nodded in agreement to his proposal. "Good idea, it's probably best that way."

Again the man appraised her, this time with that same vaguely perplexed expression he'd worn this morning. "You're… a strange girl, aren't you?"

Her expression quickly morphed into an irritated scowl. "You got a problem with that?"

"No," he replied. "It's just… you remind me of someone."

"So long as it's not an ex-girlfriend or something equally creepy, it's fine." Sadako gestured to the road ahead. "Home's this way."

Once again Sasuke was temporarily thrown by her unhindered speech, but as she set off before him with an awkward lumbering stride, he was once again reminded of his… friend… back in Konoha.

"Oh," she piped up suddenly, turning to appraise him with large dark eyes. "What did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," was all he supplied.

The girl glared at him. "Fine. _Boke_ it is, then. Mine's Sadako."

"Do you completely lack any and all forms of respect?" he demanded, voice hard.

She snorted. "That's rich, coming from the guy who'll be dining at my table tonight and won't even tell me his name."

A moment of silence passed as they walked. Then – "It's Sasuke."

"Sasuke, huh? Pretty uncommon name. You're not from around here, are you?" He shook his head. "Where do you come from?"

Sasuke briefly debated how much he should reveal before murmuring "The east."

Sadako nodded thoughtfully, and then smirked. "I bet the villager's told you to stay away from me. Why did you even bother with the rice?"

A black orb flicked down to her just as the wind blew, and as his silky black hair billowed around his face, Sadako thought she saw a glimmer of silver in the place where his other eye should have been. "If you hadn't run into me earlier, you would have had a full bag of rice to bring back to your parents. I dislike the idea of owing debts, and from what I heard, you need it more than I do."

When he glanced down at her again she was smirking up at him and rubbing the back of her head sheepishly. "Yeah… sorry about that. I didn't mean to get so carried away with what I was saying." She faced forward again as she considered what he'd revealed. "You don't like owing people… I bet you probably don't accept charity either." Sadako giggled and kicked at a large leaf. "I think we're gonna get along great, Sasuke-sama!"

He glanced down at her in surprise. ' _Sama?_ ' It was an honorific he hadn't heard in a long time.

As she darted forward to catch a butterfly that had wandered onto their path, Sasuke was beginning to think that perhaps he might have made a bad decision agreeing to this. And bad decisions were not a common habit for the last surviving member of the Uchiha.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

"Now when you get there, don't forget to thank Masumi-chan for her hospitality, got it? She works hard to please guests, and I won't have anyone show disrespect towards her," Sadako huffed.

The raven-haired man declined to reply, instead keeping his eyes forward as they strolled along. Undeterred, she added, "Oh, and don't forget to take off your shoes before you enter the house. She doesn't like it when strangers are rude that way."

Still there was silence, until Sadako felt compelled to aim a kick at his leg just to get a reaction out of him. She studied him carefully from the corner of her eye, noting the way he wore the cape around his broad shoulders to keep his shape a mystery. _Something tells me he would dodge it before it could land…_ Giving up on conversation, she instead passed the time by studying her companion in even more detail.

His hair was charcoal black with no shine whatsoever; in fact, it seemed to suck up all light that hit it, which perplexed Sadako immensely. Sure, hers was black, but it wasn't a black hole atop her head like his… Next, she noted the way he walked with total silence – as though walking on air. Just to be sure, she checked his feet to make sure they were actually meeting the ground – _yep, they're touching. So then, he must be used to making as little sound as possible when he walks… Which involves the kind of extensive training only a shinobi would receive._

It all clicked into place then.

"You're Uchiha Sasuke from Konohagakure, right?"

The raven-haired man showed no outward reaction to her statement. "How can you tell?"

"From the way you hold yourself. You've got this arrogant look that really pisses me off. Plus, there's only one Sasuke I know of who is a shinobi."

"Hn _._ "

"Mhm," she continued knowledgably."You always look up at the trees when we pass them. And you're walking really quietly – your feet never touch any twigs or dry leaves. How are you doing that, by the way? Do you use chakra to hide the sounds? Are you good at using your chakra?"

"Don't you have an off switch?"

Instead of being offended by the offhand comment like he'd expected, Sadako threw back her head and laughed aloud. "Masumi-chan always asks me that. I think she's gonna like you when she sees you."

"Hn."

They rounded a slight bend in the road before they came to a crossroads; one led to a series of farms situated among pretty green fields, while the other led away into the trees bordering the farmlands. Sadako gestured to the left, and they soon passed through the tree line and into the darker interior of the woods.

"How much further is your house?" Sasuke asked, secretly wondering how much longer he would have to spend alone with the girl.

"Not too much longer – we're nearly there."

"Hn," was all he replied.

"So you said before that I reminded you of someone. Was it your ex-girlfriend or not?"

Sasuke let out a small sigh of surrender. "No. It was a friend of mine from my village. I don't have an ex-girlfriend."

"'A friend'… your current girlfriend, then?" Suddenly Sadako grasped the significance of that statement and backed away a little. "Ugh. That's really weird, Sasuke-tan."

" _Baka_ ," he muttered, shaking his head a little. "I don't have..."

Instantly she was beside him again, staring up at him with eyes narrowed in disbelief. "You don't have a girlfriend? Why not? All the girl's must be fighting each other to have you!" A rather uncomfortable silence ensued, during which Sadako wished she could find a club to hit herself over the head with. "Uh, I don't mean… I mean that, um… you're not that good-looking, ya know! Well, not really. You're nose is kinda nice, I suppose… B-But that's not –"

She broke off and immediately faced her blazing features forward so as to avoid his black gaze. Sasuke couldn't help but be faintly amused by her flustered state. Still, he suspected that she was so red in the face because she'd driven herself into a verbal corner rather than the fact that she was actually affected by his looks. He found the awkward exchange oddly… refreshing.

"A-Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that it's odd for someone as old as you not to have a girlfriend by now, what with the shinobi life expectancy and stuff. Don't you want to settle down and have kids soon? That kinda stuff doesn't happen all at once, ya know." She nodded her head once, smartly. "You gotta work on maintaining a good relationship with someone first – I think. So you'd better hop to it before all the good ones are gone."

Sasuke glanced down at the back of her head as they walked, considering the girl. For the first time in a long, long while, he found himself fighting the beginnings of a grin. "How old do you think I am?"

She gazed up into his features for a moment. "I dunno, twenty-three maybe?"

"Hn."

"Was I right?"

He let out a small scoff. "Not even close."

"Huh? Well, how old are you, then?" she demanded. When he refused to grace her question with a reply, she let out a frustrated breath. "Come on, you can't just tag me along and then leave me hanging like that. What are you, a sadist?"

Sasuke was about to reprimand her for her choice of words when he felt it. He halted in his tracks so suddenly that Sadako had actually walked a few paces in front before she even noticed he's stopped. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked, frowning at him.

Sasuke was gazing off somewhere to their right, and his face hardened imperceptibly. "Something's wrong."

Just as the words escaped his mouth, a piercing, all-too-familiar scream shattered the silence around them. The colour drained from Sadako's face, and expression horrified, she whispered, "Reiko-chan." Then she bolted away into the trees in the direction the scream had come from.

Muttering a quiet curse, Sasuke immediately gave chase, taking to the treetops and overtaking Sadako in a matter of seconds. Chakra coursed through his system, seeping its way into his left eye to awaken his Sharingan. Immediately the three _tomoe_ whirled to life and Sasuke set to searching for flares in chakra energy.

Almost straight ahead he detected five different chakra energies, one possessing a specific chakra nature. ' _Earth. Good, this shouldn't take long._ ' Increasing his pace, Sasuke veered to the right and overtook the people below before dropping down to the ground a ways away. Carefully, should one of them be a sensory ninja, he cloaked his presence by diminishing his own chakra energy, watching them as they hurried into view.

Three men were dragging a struggling girl, who looked no older than nine, through the trees; one had his hands over her mouth and waist while the other two held her arms and legs. The fourth man was hiding in the trees above, keeping watch for anyone pursuing them. Sasuke recognised him as the one with the Earth-type chakra.

"Ow!" the man holding her face suddenly exclaimed. "The bitch bit me again!"

Immediately the girl seized their lapse in attention to let out another piercing scream. "Just shut her up, Takao!" 'Takao' grimaced and swiftly delivered a punch to the girl's head, which succeeded in knocking her unconscious. The men let out a relieved breath and continued on their way.

Sasuke had originally planned to wait and see if they revealed any information on the whereabouts of other possible parties, but he decided there were other, quicker ways of obtaining the information he wanted. Stepping out of his hiding place, he stood in the path of the startled men and slowly unveiled his chakra, watching with bitter amusement as their expressions changed from challenging to terrified the longer they comprehended the true extent of his strength.

"I believe that girl belongs to a family not far from here. You should return her to them immediately." His voice was calm, not a single inflection to betray the darkness that was rapidly boiling up inside him.

Silence met his request, before the man holding the girl's legs stepped forward to confront him. "W-We found this girl passed out near a boulder not far from here, so we're gonna take her to Tanigakure to see a doctor." When Sasuke merely stared at the man, he swallowed nervously. "We need to hurry, she could be dying."

For the first time a flicker of emotion passed over Sasuke's face in the form of a smile, but it did nothing to alleviate the concerns of the men. The smirk was that of a predator who had found its prey. "Are the rest of your men waiting for you in Tanigakure?"

The two men behind him exchanged a small glance, which told Sasuke all he needed to know. Chuckling once, he reached behind him to grasp the hilt of his _Katana_ , and then slowly, methodically began to unsheathe the blade.

The man backed up a few steps, holding his hands before him beseechingly. "H-Hey, there's no need for –"

"This will be the last little girl you kidnap. Unfortunately, you're all going to die here like the pathetic insects that you are. Prepare yourselves."

It was the only warning he gave as he called upon the lightning from the clouds that he had steadily been massing over their oblivious heads. Forming hand signs with one hand, his charka flared and the clouds thundered in response, a bolt of lightning striking the tree housing the earth-user almost quicker than the eye could see. With a flash and a short scream of agony the man was dead, the pungent smell of burned meat the only evidence of his existence.

Horrified by the display, the three men dropped the girl haphazardly and sprinted away, but they were not fast enough. Sasuke quickly caught up to the first, dispatching him with a clean slice through the neck, decapitating him quickly and quietly. One of the others looked back in time to see the head topple to the ground, and he let out a piercing scream of terror, which in another circumstance might have been quite hilarious. However, his scream was cut short when Sasuke's blade found its way through his jugular.

When the last man, Takao, spun around and took up a fighting stance, Sasuke let out a disembodied, ominous chuckle that seemed to echo all around the man. "Finally, one of you shows some balls. I was beginning to think I had been wrong in assuming you belonged to the bandits terrorising this nation."

"P-P-Please," the man, Takao, stuttered pathetically, his lower lip quivering. "Don't k-kill me. I'll d-d-do anything you w-want!"

"Is that so… Tell me where the rest of your friends are hiding and I won't kill you."

Takao froze. "What… are you talking about? There are no others –"

"Do you want to die?"

He shuddered at the terrible thought. "P-Please, if I tell you, they'll kill me instead!"

"Before the day is over, they will be dead or you will be. Choose quickly."

The man began shaking his head back and forth in denial, clutching his kunai desperately until his hand began to shake. Sasuke let out a small sigh of impatience and channelled his chakra again, abruptly prompting the man from his indecision.

"W-Wait! All right! All right! They're staying at a hotel in the south of Tanigakure! That's all I know, I swear!" The last word broke off on a whimper.

"I believe you," Sasuke reassured softly as he approached.

He stopped before the man and allowed him to see both his Sharingan and Rinnegan, gazing purposefully into his eyes as the chakra began to flow through them. The man's eyes gradually started to change, and when they completely reflected his Sharingan, he turned and strolled away without another word. Sasuke watched him go without a shred of emotion decorating his features, ensuring the man was thoroughly under a thrall before he left the bloody scene.

He made his way back to the unconscious girl, and before he'd even arrived the panicked tone of Sadako's voice could be heard. "Reiko-chan! Come on, open your eyes." When Sasuke finally reached them she was shaking the girl like a ragdoll."I'm right here! Hey, you're safe, stupid!"

He grabbed her shoulder firmly, stilling her frantic movements, and caught the fist that came flying at him when she spun around. Holding her gaze, he shook his head once, but it was enough to somewhat still her nerves. "Did you find them?" Sadako asked. He simply nodded. "Are they alive?" When he just stared at her with that black orb-like eye, she pulled her hand from his and turned her attention back to the girl. "Can you do something?"

In response he gathered the unconscious girl's head in his palm, and once again called upon his reserves of chakra. Sadako's eyes widened when a green glow erupted all around Reiko's head, and she gazed up at him in surprise. "You know medical ninjutsu, Sasuke-tan?"

"Only a little; enough to heal minor injuries."

"Like broken bones and stuff?" She leaned forward eagerly.

He shook his head. "No, too difficult; only cuts and bruises. Now stop talking, I'm trying to concentrate."

Sadako huffed in annoyance but did as she was told, watching closely as he continued to heal Reiko's injured head. After a few minutes of this Sasuke broke off the supply of chakra, sitting back on his heel and sighing. He couldn't fathom how Sakura had the patience needed to do the things she did; merely healing minor injuries took a large amount of concentration.

"Is she gonna be okay?"

"Yes, but she'll be sore when she wakes, so it's probably best for me to carry her." Sasuke didn't like the idea at all, but knew Sadako was likely to start another argument if he asked her to do it instead.

So he quickly deposited the girl on his back and set off toward the path again, Sadako trailing behind him loudly. When she didn't immediately begin bombarding him with questions, he looked down, taking in her slightly pale complexion and grim expression, and sighed a little. "You recognised the girl's scream before. Do you two know each other?"

Suddenly she began to smirk. "Yeah," she snickered, "I know her. You're carrying my –"

"I'M SADAKO-CHAN'S IMOUTO!" a high-pitched voice screamed in Sasuke's ear. He stumbled a little and gritted his teeth as the little girl on his back suddenly came to life, wriggling and throwing herself all around amidst a chorus of squealing giggles.

"Reiko-chan! You're awake!" Sadako exclaimed, rushing over to the girl and circling her tiny ankle with her hand. "How do you feel?"

"'Course I'm awake! I'm _soooo_ happy! Nee-chan is home, and she brought a Mister, too! Hey, Mister," she said, propelling herself forward with his shoulders, "Are you Nee-chan's boyfriend?"

Sasuke's arms abruptly went limp and, completely without support, Reiko toppled noisily to the ground. "Oww!" she whimpered, rubbing the spot on her bottom that had taken the brunt of the blow.

"Reiko-chan!" Sadako suddenly turned and glared up at Sasuke accusingly. "You're such an ass!You can't just go throwing people around, ya know!"

"I won't be made a fool of by a mere child. I saved her life already."

Sadako rolled her eyes at his cold logic. "A bit late for that. You've got pretty rusty shinobi skills if you can't tell the difference between someone who's unconscious or faking it. I thought you were supposed to be all-powerful or something?"

His lip lifted slightly in a slight scowl. "This coming from the girl who'd be in the clutches of kidnappers by this point if it weren't for me?"

"Please," Sadako scoffed indignantly, rising to face him head on. "Those guys were just bandits – barely worth wasting my time over. I could've handled them myself, dummy!"

"One of them was an earth-style ninja," he calmly pointed out. "He could've crushed you."

That brought her up short for a moment – but her confidence soon returned, leaving a bittersweet taste in her mouth. "Trust me, I would've been fine."

"Yeah!" Reiko suddenly exclaimed, jumping up from her perch on the ground. "Nee-chan's really strong, dontcha know?! She would've burned those creeps to a crisp –!"

Sadako cut off the rest of the girl's sentence by quickly slapping a hand over her big mouth, but she needn't have bothered. Sasuke suddenly turned to face something coming from behind them with an alert stance. "Someone's coming."

Immediately Sadako released Reiko and thrust her behind her back, eyes peeling the trees for signs of movement. It was silent for a while, but then she could hear someone picking their way through the brush. A curse sounded, and she jerked at the familiar voice. _Is that…?_

"REIKO-CHAAAAN!"

 _Yep, that's him._ She struggled to keep the irritation from her tone as she called,"Himuro! Over here!"

A figure began clumsily sprinting towards them, and Himuro, a boy from a neighbouring farm, skidded to a halt when he reached them. "Ah…! There… you are!" He bent over and braced his hands on his knees, struggling for breath. "I… was so worried! I heard… Reiko scream, and… I came… as fast… as I could…"

Sadako rolled her eyes at the boy. "Well, calm down; we had a friend help us, so even if you weren't fast enough it doesn't matter."

Himuro – who was two years older than her at thirteen – glanced between her and Sasuke with a frown. "Who's… your friend?"

"He's not my friend," Sadako barked and crossed her arms.

The lanky boy gaped at her. "B-But you just said –"

Sadako help up a hand. "Forget what I said. Just shut up for a second."

"Which way?" Sasuke interrupted impatiently.

"Uh…" She cast about around her for a familiar tree, rock, stone – anything. But she soon realised with a sinking feeling that she was, in fact, completely and utterly lost. "I-It seems I lost the trail…" She went red in the face when the raven-haired prodigy gave her a contemptuous look. "It's not my fault!"

"I-I think I might know the way!" Himuro piped up. He glanced around him – adopting the _exact_ strategy she had just executed – and appeared crestfallen at the lack of results. "Oh, um… J-Just give me a moment…"

Sadako's brow twitched in annoyance. "Himuro, sit down before you hurt yourself."

While Himuro blushed furiously and stared at the ground, Reiko spoke up from behind Sadako. "It's alright! I have a friend who can help us!"

She grinned reassuringly at them and then turned, letting loose a strange vocal call from her throat. There were a few minutes of silence while they waited, and then from the sky, a small bird fluttered towards them. Reiko beamed as its tiny feet settled on her forearm, and from her pocket she withdrew a dead insect and offered it to the little creature – Sadako grimaced at that. _I hate insects…_

The small bird gobbled it up and let loose a call almost identical to the one Reiko had just given. Sadako stared with fascination, taking in the beautiful colours decorating its head, chest and body. Greens, violets and indigos shone with iridescence in a dazzling display.

Sasuke was also studying the bird with something remarkably close to surprise. "Is that… a Woodnymph?"

"Yep," Reiko chirped happily, offering the bird another insect. "A violet-crowned male Woodnymph, dontcha know! See the indigo colour near his beak? And the green underneath? That means he's male." She giggled as the little bird hopped on her shoulder and began combing through her hair – for lice. "Isn't he cute?"

"Sorry," Sadako interrupted impatiently. "But what's a violet-crowned Woodnymph?"

"Ah…! I think I remember, it's like a… um –"

"Himuro," Sadako growled warningly. "If you open your mouth one more time I'm going to knock you unconscious and leave you here."

"Uh, o-okay…"

Sasuke's tone was calm as ever despite the obvious interest in his eyes. "It's a species of hummingbird. I thought they didn't exist on this part of the country?"

"That's right," Reiko nodded. "But they're migrating for the mating season. They're here around this time every year." Her eyes became wistful as she said, "My Daddy used to take me to some nesting grounds not far from where we lived… There were so many, it was like a living rainbow! He even taught me how to ask them for help. They're so nice!" She giggled again and murmured something to the bird.

Sasuke studied the small girl before him with mounting interest. "Your parents are shinobi?"

"Were," she corrected cheerily. "They died during the Fourth Shinobi World War, dontcha know."

Beside her, Sadako stiffened. Suddenly aware of the tension, he decided it was best to let the subject drop. "I'm sorry."

Reiko turned and gazed at him with piercing blue eyes. "It's okay. They went on their own; it's not like they were forced or anything… They died for a noble cause."

Sadako ground her teeth in frustration. "Because leaving their only daughter all alone in the world is such a noble thing to do."

Silence accompanied her statement; Reiko refused to look at anyone and instead occupied herself with stroking the bird's soft head. "Nee-chan, I know what you think about them… But I understand why they did it. I'm not angry."

"No," she growled, "But you _should_ be! Aren't you mad that they left you in this cruel, stupid world all on your _own_ –?!"

"Sadako," Sasuke interrupted softly. "Enough. It's getting dark, we should find shelter soon."

She huffed once, indignantly, but didn't pursue the issue. "Whatever. Let's just go."

Reiko whistled to the little bird again, and it took off before them – but not so far ahead that they couldn't keep up. Sadako allowed the smaller girl to take the lead, but kept a vigilant eye on her figure as light slowly left the land. Sasuke strolled along beside her, silent and vigilant, while Himuro gave up any semblance of conversation he thought of having to with Sadako and instead chose to walk with Reiko. When she glanced up at Sasuke, she noted with surprise that he was studying Reiko's bouncing form with more than a little interest.

She felt her brow twitch in annoyance, and aimed a kick at his long leg. "Oi, keep your eyes to yourself, creep."

The larger boy easily dodged the movement. " _Baka_. You come up with some disturbing ideas."

"You're the one checking out a seven-year-old. What's your deal?"

For a moment, she thought he wouldn't reply – she was getting ready to kick him for real when he said softly, "I find it odd that she can control an animal with just a few vocal commands."

"What does that mean?" she asked impatiently.

He sighed condescendingly, making her want to hit him again. "I mean that she has obviously inherited a store of chakra from her former shinobi parents. If this is true, then you should seek assistance from your village; letting chakra build up in such a young body without an outlet can be dangerous."

Sadako frowned at the sudden revelation. _Dammit, why hadn't I thought of that before…?_ She studied Reiko with a frown as another, more disturbing thought occurred to her. _Why haven't Masumi-chan and Hiroki-chan said anything about it?_ Surely they were aware of the issue.

Just as it was beginning to get dark, a light through the trees came into view. Sadako sighed in relief as they stepped through a break in the trees to reveal a large farm surrounded by gardens and produce. In the distance, hills rolled for about five miles before the trees caught up with them again. Sadako had always thought of it as a type of private safe-haven.

Not far from them, Sadako saw the door to their house open to emit the form of Masumi, who was glancing up at the sky in obvious concern. _Man, that woman worries too much._ Still, she grinned at the familiar feeling of arriving home, and she let loose an exultant shout in the woman's direction. However, instead of responding in kind, Masumi's hands fisted themselves to her hips forebodingly. Sadako instantly sobered at the look. _Oh, damn… I'm so dead…_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

"Hirohashi Sadako!"

The girl in question flinched at the screech that left Masumi's lips. As their company drew closer to the cottage, the woman stalked towards them with menacing steps that made Sadako cringe with trepidation. Beside her, she thought Sasuke snorted softly; she aimed another kick at his leg.

The moment Masumi reached them, she went for Sadako's ear with a grip tighter than a bird's beak. "Ow! Baka-Masumi! Lemme go, lemme go –"

"I saw that! How dare you kick a guest of our household! I thought I raised you better, Sadako!" While the girl grumbled to herself, Masumi fixed a firm smile of greeting on her face as she faced the man accompanying her two – non-biological – daughters. "Forgive my niece, sir. I'm sure she's caused you lots of trouble already – I assume that's why you're here?"

"Hey!" Sadako shouted indignantly. "That's got nothing to do with it! I just invited him for dinner, that's all."

"Hmm, I'm sure that's all." Masumi rolled her eyes and turned to the stranger. "If you wouldn't mind enlightening me –"

Abruptly Masumi broke off her sentence; Sadako gazed up at her curiously, and blanched when she saw pure shock written on her foster-mothers' features. For a moment, all she did was stare at Sasuke, the atmosphere becoming so awkward Sadako almost felt compelled to point it out, before saying in a shaky voice, "Wh-What… did you say your name was?"

"I didn't," was all he replied.

When neither party decided to comment further, Sadako loosened herself from Masumi's frozen grip and subtly inserted herself in front of the older boy. "Uh, Masumi-chan, this here is… Hayashi. Hayashi Daiki."

"H-Hayashi… Daiki," the woman confirmed shakily. "What part of town are you from, Hayashi-kun?"

"I'm a traveller," Sasuke supplied evenly, not appearing in the least perturbed by Masumi's strange behaviour.

"A _traveller_ –"

Suddenly, Hiroki called out to them from where he was standing in the doorway. "Oi, you lot! You just gonna stand there or are ya comin' in?"

"We're coming!" Sadako hollered back. She took one last questioning look at Masumi before grabbing Sasuke's sleeve and pulling him toward the house. "Come on, it's time for dinner…"

Masumi looked like she was about to protest, but then reluctantly conceded with a nod. Then she spotted Himuro, and smiled dotingly. "Ah, Himuro-kun, are you joining us for dinner?"

The boy glanced from Masumi's grinning face to Sadako's stony one – and quickly made up his mind. "Ah… Thank you, Masumi-sama, but I think I should be getting home. Papa must be worried by now…"

"Ah, yes," she agreed with a smile. "I'm sure that's the case. Then you'd better hurry home, Himuro-kun."

He nodded. "Yes… Uh, I'll see you later, Reiko-chan! Sadako-chan…"

"See ya, Muro-tan!" Reiko said with a cheery wave. Sadako made a vague hand motion in his direction and hurried inside.

True to his word, Sasuke shed his shoes by the door and murmured quietly, almost to himself, "I'm coming in…"

As she followed them inside, Masumi tugged on her daughter's shirt. "Sadako-chan, did you get what I needed from the markets today?"

"Hai," she replied, holding up the potatoes and vegetables. "Sasu – uh, Daiki-tan got the rice…"

Instantly the woman inflated with anger. "Sadako, you're going around accepting charity from strangers now?"

"No!" she exclaimed angrily. "Daiki-tan bumped into me at the markets today and knocked the rice everywhere, so he bought me some to replace it, and I offered him dinner for the trouble! Satisfied?" She crossed her arms with a scowl.

Masumi considered the girl for a moment, and then swooped down to envelop her in a giant bear-hug. "Hai… I'm satisfied. Now can you stop being a grumpy old crone and _smile_ for a change?"

"Ah – hey! Stop it –! ARGH!" Sadako futilely pushed at the woman's face. "Let me go, Baka-Masumi!" Masumi chuckled and finally released the girl with an affectionate pat on the head. Despite her irritated expression, Sadako felt her frustration slowly ebbing away.

"Reiko-chan, why don't you show Hayashi-kun to the wash basin to prepare for dinner?"

"Hai!" the little girl replied. She murmured softly to the hummingbird, and then walked to the window to release it. It flew off with a series of frantic whistles.

Reiko flounced over to the raven-haired Uchiha and grasped his large hand in both of hers. He fought the urge to shake it off, deciding to just grit his teeth and bare it as the small girl began pulling him towards a hallway leading away from the kitchen on his left. When he was shown to a small room containing a toilet and basin, he politely but firmly pulled his hand from her grasp and began washing his hands. When he was done, he glanced down questioningly at the hovering girl.

"What?"

"Do you want me to take your coat and put it on the rack?" she asked with those large blue eyes.

"That won't be necessary." It wouldn't be wise to expose his weaponry to the woman, who was already uneasy from his presence alone –

"You can put your weapons in my room if you want?"

Sasuke blinked down at the small girl who continued to throw him. How had she known about those, when he'd gone out of his way to conceal the shapes from even the keenest eyes? When she just stared at him questioningly, he acquiesced with a nod. She beamed happily and showed him to her small room, where he removed his weapons and placed them just behind the door.

He followed the girl back to the living room; she pranced over to the rack beside the door and tried in vain to throw his coat over the hooks there. Sasuke sighed at her pitiful attempts, taking the coat from her grasp and placing it over the hook himself. When he glanced down, she was grinning up at him, barely taller than his knee.

… _What am I doing here?_ But he didn't have time to dwell on the sensible question.

Soon they were all seated at the table, dishing up cooked rice and a large bowl of steamed curry. Despite his aversion to people, Sasuke couldn't help but appreciate the fact that he was about to eat a home-cooked meal; something he hadn't had since before his clan had been destroyed.

"Itadakimasu," he murmured, and then dug in.

As soon as the food entered his mouth, he froze with shock. He glanced down at the curry, then up at the woman responsible for the dish. It was – delicious. More than delicious. He'd been without such an appetising meal for months…

At the head of the table, the husband groaned with relish and nodded appreciatively. "My love, this dish is scrumptious! My wife sure can cook, huh Hayashi?" Sasuke nodded but didn't reply – he was too busy focusing on the meal in question. Across from him, beside her mother, Sadako grinned knowingly, her smug face saying, 'I-told-you-so'.

After a few minutes of eating, Masumi placed her chopsticks on the bench and fixed him with a searching gaze. "So, Hayashi-kun… You said you were a traveller? How did you come across my daughters in your travels?"

Sadako met his eyes, and with unspoken consent it was decided that the attack on Reiko earlier that day would remain a secret from her mother. Since the culprits were already dead, there was no use worrying Masumi over useless things. That aside, Sadako began to explain the events leading up to now, but was interrupted by Masumi's raised hand. "I don't believe I asked for your input, Sadako-chan. I was talking to Hayashi-kun. Please don't interrupt."

The girl blushed at the jibe. "Sorry…"

Sasuke swallowed the food in his mouth and set his chopsticks aside as well. With halting words, he recalled for the woman the events of the afternoon, excluding the incident involving the bandits in the woods. Masumi listened with interest, and when he finished his explanation, gave him a smile of gratitude. "Well, I'm glad it was you who bumped into Sadako-chan and not a local; they would have been far less understanding."

He chose not to reply, instead tucking back into the unfinished food.

"What are your plans after you're finished here, Hayashi-kun?"

Sasuke fought the urge to sigh impatiently. "I haven't decided. I'm still learning about this world and the people in it."

Masumi blinked at the depth of his statement. "Is that so… May I ask what you have learned so far?"

"I have not yet arrived at a valid opinion. But… if you desire, I can tell you when I form one."

She studied him quizzically, but then a small smile softened her features. "I think I would like that very much."

Sasuke nodded in acquiescence. For the rest of the meal there was spattering of conversation here and there, but he wasn't required to give another long-winded speech again. When he was finished the meal, he stood with finality and thanked the family for the meal. "Sadako wasn't lying; your curry truly is the best I have tasted."

Masumi blushed a little. "Nonsense… There's no need to over-exaggerate, Hayashi-kun."

He didn't bother to contradict her – he never over-exaggerated, but he didn't care either way if the woman knew it or not.

Sadako scowled at the bench as he stood. "You're leaving right away?"

He gazed down at her impassively. "I have things I must do tonight."

"Yeah, I know," she muttered sullenly. "You don't have to explain yourself to me. Thanks for the rice, I guess…"

Beside her, Masumi chuckled at her expression. "Sadako-chan, he can't stick around all night. I'm sure he's a busy man."

"I know that! I'm not an idiot…" Still, that face stayed in place.

Sasuke retreated to the room to gather his stashed weapons – and was met at the door by a smiling Reiko, arms piled high with his tools. He patted her head in thanks before donning them; while he did, she ran around him, and returned with his coat. "Hey, mister, you're not coming back, right?" He was silent at first, but then nodded in affirmation. "Then, can you do me a favour?"

"What is it?" he asked warily.

Blue eyes gazing directly into his, she said in a firm voice, "Protect the world."

Sasuke stared at the little girl whose eyes held such a blazing conviction, wondering what kind of people her parents had been to have produced such a strange child. _Protect the world… Give me a break…_ No matter the extent of his power, it was impossible.

"I'll do my best," he replied evenly.

The girl stared at him for a while longer, taking in his measure and conviction, and then nodded once, satisfied. "Alright, I believe you. Oh," she remembered suddenly, hurrying back into her room and emerging with gloves. "Don't forget these. It gets cold outside, dontcha know?"

He nodded in appreciation, then turned away. Sadako was cleaning the dishes in the kitchen, while her father was nowhere to be seen – Masumi, however, was standing by the doorway waiting for him. He approached warily. "Thank you for the meal. I'll take my leave now."

The woman smiled gratefully at his words. "No, I must thank you for taking care of my girls today. Ordinarily I would repay you with ten home-cooked meals, but something tells me you're only going to be around for the one…" When he nodded an affirmative, she gazed at him with those penetrating eyes – again. "Tell me Hayashi-kun, do you have any family?"

"No."

When she noted the firm set to his jaw, she glanced away awkwardly and shuffled her feet. "I… I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said something so tactless."

"It's fine."

She shot him an apologetic grin. "It's really not, but I appreciate your kindness. Safe travels to you, Hayashi-kun."

He nodded his thanks once more before sweeping past the threshold and into the night.

* * *

From her place in the kitchen, Sadako steadfastly refused to turn and face the man who had probably saved her little sister's life today. For some reason, her nerves were shot, and she felt he was the cause. Voices drifted in from the doorway, muttering thanks to each other, and she picked the exact moment he left the house. It was like a weight lifting off her shoulders. _Man, he must have some immense power._

Masumi entered the kitchen just as she was finishing. "Sadako-chan, you're not going to say goodbye?"

"Why would I?" she retorted. "I owed him a favour, and now it's done. There's nothing more to it."

The woman chuckled at her words before pulling into another consuming hug. "Ah, you're so cute when you're upset! You admired him, didn't you?"

"What?! No!" She shrugged out of her mother's hold with a grimace. "You're spouting nonsense again, old hag. I don't _admire_ him!"

Out of nowhere, Masumi produced her notorious wooden spoon to rap the girl over the head with. "Watch your mouth! Else I'll be tempted to wash it out with soap…"

"Ow!" Sadako rubbed the lump on her head and grumbled under her breath. Her mother watched reprovingly for a moment longer, but then laughed and patted her head.

"Go check on your sister, Sadako-chan. Ask her if she wants to play a game with us tonight, would you?"

Still muttering darkly, she stalked to Reiko's room and threw open the door without knocking. "Oi, Reiko-chan, Masumi wants to know if – _where in the bloody hell did you get that?!_ "

On the bed, Reiko froze mid-lunge and blinked innocently down at her sister. In her hand was a wooden stick that was obviously serving as some sort of makeshift sword, and atop her brow sat a hidden leaf shinobi headband that was stroked through the middle. Sadako blanched when she recognised it; it had been on Sasuke's waist since the moment she'd met him. _Oh, man… He's gonna be so mad._

The girl self-consciously began pushing her pointer-fingers together. "Umm… Well, I… got it off Daiki-tan?"

"Yeah, I gathered that! Why?! Don't you know he'll be missing that soon?"

She blushed under Sadako's reproving glare. "Well, yeah… I know… I'm kind of counting on it, dontcha know?"

Sadako groaned and slapped her forehead. "Don't tell me you took it on purpose so he would come back here?! _Baka_! He's just gonna get mad at you!"

Reiko pouted. "No he won't… Daiki-tan is too nice. He'll forgive me." The sulky expression melted away under a cheery grin. "And then we can hang out some more, dontcha know?"

"That," Sadako growled, stomping over to snatch the headband off her head, "Is the dumbest thing I've heard you say. You're just causing him trouble." She sighed deeply and scrubbed a hand over her face. "I'm gonna have to give this back to him before he realises it's gone… If he hasn't already."

"Huh?" her little sister exclaimed loudly – Sadako quickly shushed her before Masumi noticed.

"What's your problem?" she demanded with a fierce scowl.

Reiko returned it with her own glower. "How come you get to go see him? I wanna come, too!"

"No. It's dark, and I don't wanna have to worry about you as well as myself." When she made to let loose another cry, Sadako smacked her head gently. " _Baka_. There're bears and wolves out there. If you don't know where you're going, you can get into serious trouble."

 _And I'm not gonna let that_ _happen again,_ she vowed fiercely to herself.

"But I wanna cooooooome!"

"Dammit, no!" As soon as the words left her mouth, Reiko's eyes watered. Sadako blanched and quickly thought of something to prevent the incoming tantrum. "Uh… Hey, I know! How about I tell Sasu – _Daiki_ -tan to come over for breakfast tomorrow? I'm pretty sure he's staying in town for the night. I'll find him and ask him for you, alright?"

As quickly as her tears pooled, they dissipated. Reiko beamed and agreed with an enthusiastic, "Hai!" before launching herself off the bed. She made for the door, but then stopped and glanced back at her older sister. "Oh, and you might wanna go through my window, Nee-chan."

Sadako frowned. "What're you talking about?"

"You don't want Masumi-tan to know you're leaving, right? Then you'd better take the window out." She grinned again. "I'll tell her you went for a walk; that way when she finds out what you did, she can't say I lied, dontcha know!"

She shook her head at the younger girl. "You're pretty smart for your age, huh Reiko-chan?"

"Hai!" Her light giggle followed her out of the door.

When she was alone, Sadako scrubbed the back of her head with a sigh. "It's actually kinda scary sometimes…"

It was going to be cold out; with that in mind, she raided Reiko's cupboard for a jacket just in case she got too chilly while walking –

"Oh! That little thief!" She hissed angrily as she pulled a familiar black coat from her sister's drawer. "I've been looking for this for ages! Oh… You're _so_ dead when I get back…!"

Jacket in hand, she snatched up the headband from the bed and silently opened the window, immersing herself into the night like a shadow.

* * *

A lone figure walked leisurely through the bustling streets of Tanigakure. Around him, people paid little heed to his presence other than a passing glance, or a mildly surprised _hmph_ when they recognised him as a traveller. Underneath the shadow of his fringe, his eyes took in every detail around him, noting the positions of shopping merchants – and village shinobi in particular – looking for any signs of trouble. Strangely, the first thing he noticed was the odd wariness the locals of the village held in their posture, as though waiting for something to happen. It only served to increase his wariness of this place.

 _Something's not right._

But it would have to wait for a later time; he had more important tasks. Closing his eyes, he tapped into his chakra supply and waited for the flare of chakra he'd sent out earlier that day to show itself.

… _There you are._

His eyes snapped open, and he made his way through the crowd to a small hotel not far from his location. He stopped before it, quickly assessing the layout of the building and noting all possible exits; not for him, but his prey. Once they realised who they were dealing with, they would be sure to scatter like roaches fleeing from a fire. He followed the thread of chakra to the third floor, ignoring the staff that gave him strange looks as he walked past – _That's going to be annoying later…_ He'd have to wrap this up quickly.

Outside the room, he paused to ensure no one was watching before slipping through the door quiet as a whisper, the lock not hindering him in the least. Once inside, he took advantage of the shadows and cloaked his presence to ensure that even the most sensitive ninja would have trouble noticing him. Three men were lounging throughout the room. _No,_ he realised, _not lounging._ The man by the window was assessing the streets around them with eyes keen as a hawk; the other man in the chair was leaning his head into his hand and tapping his foot impatiently; and the young boy among them simply stared at the clock on the wall whilst twirling a large scythe in his grip. Clearly he was the strongest of the three.

The men waited silently for a long time, not moving too much other than a shuffle of the feet and a sporadic twitching of the nose – clear outward signs of nervousness from the older men. All the while the young boy stared at the clock with no change in countenance.

He waited for over an hour, a shadow in the shadows, until finally –

"They're late. We should've heard from them by now," the man by the window muttered, effectively breaking the silence.

The boy's gaze remained fixed to the clock as he replied, "Yes."

"Shouldn't you send me to investigate?"

"No."

He gritted his teeth. "So we're just going to sit here and do nothing? We have to report back to the boss by morning."

The man in the chair sighed. "Relax, Kou. They said they might have some fun on the mission, so I can guarantee you that they're having some 'fun'."

His partner scowled at that. "Stupid bastards. They're gonna get all of us in trouble, all because they couldn't keep it in their pants… They're always like this!"

"Yeah, but can you blame 'em? Things haven't been very exciting for us rogue ninja these past two years…" He chuckled when that scowl remained in place. "Maybe they're just taking their time with the mission?"

Hawk-eyes glanced away, unconvinced. "Yeah, maybe…"

The boy spoke up then. "Or maybe," he said softly, "They've failed the mission, given up all intel regarding our identities and status, and Sasuke Uchiha is on his way here right now to terminate us all."

Both men turned to their younger comrade with equal expressions of shock, which wasn't made better when they noticed the lack of emotion decorating his. "Seriously? You think they're all dead? Aren't you a little too unconcerned about this?"

"Unconcerned?" the boy echoed, his head cocking a little. "I wouldn't say that… In fact, I can't help but feel a tiny bit _thrilled_ , just thinking about it."

There was silence. Then – "You're a messed-up kid, aren't you?"

He shrugged once and didn't reply. But his words had had a negative effect on his comrades, who glanced back and forth between the door and the window uneasily. Once hesitantly asked, "Do you think he really killed all three of them?"

"Possibly." But the boy's eyes were more than certain.

"Could he have had help?" Hawk-eyes suggested. "You said he was on a farm; maybe there were other Shinobi lying in wait."

At this, the boy turned and fixed his wide-eyed stare on the man. "You doubt Fukisawa-sama's prowess?"

The man visibly paled. "N-No. I didn't mean that –"

"Fukisawa-sama stated quite clearly that he was travelling alone. He tapped into Takao's chakra network and pin-pointed the source of Sasuke Uchiha's chakra pattern; he is staying on a nice farm with a nice family, and he is completely _alone_. Those were Fukisawa-sama's exact words."

"I got it," Kou grumbled, glancing away uneasily. "But what if –"

A commotion from the room on the right drew their attention; there was a muffled _thump_ followed by a low groan. The boy sighed. "Kou, go make sure Takao hasn't broken out of his bonds. It'll be troublesome if he has another try at killing us…"

Using the movement as a screen, the man in the shadows focused on blurring his image as he slipped around the corner to the front door, where he made no sound as he emerged from the room. A split second later he was lifting throwing open the closest window and swiftly leaping from it, strong legs laced with chakra absorbing the three-story fall with ease. Then he was off, racing through the streets of Tanigakure with a speed that he hadn't used in months.

He ground his teeth as images of what was going on at that farm entered his mind, unable to shake them off as he flew through the trees. _Dammit! Dammit, dammit! Hold on, Sadako, Reiko. I'm coming._

* * *

"Masumi-tan! That's cheating!" Reiko exclaimed with an accusing finger.

Masumi blinked innocently at her daughter, glancing at her husband questioningly as she replied, "Reiko-chan! What could have possibly made you think such a thing?"

"I saw you looking at the mirror, dontcha know! You're not allowed to look at your card! Now we have to start all over!" The girl grumbled and slapped the card she'd been holding to her forehead down on the table. "I almost had mine, too!"

"Same here!" Hiroki pouted; he jerked a little at the answering looks he received from both girls. "Huh? Whatcha lookin' like that for?"

"You were nowhere near your mark, sweetheart."

"Yeah. You repeated a question before. Twice."

He flushed in embarrassment. "O-Oh…"

Reiko giggled at his clueless expression. "It's alright, Hiroki-tan! We'll try again next round, alright?"

"Y-Yeah… I could go for a break, though. We'll play again when I get back, sound good?" Without waiting for an answer, he took off down the hall towards the bathroom.

Masumi sighed as she watched him go, tapping on her chin with a finger. "I wish Sadako-chan were here right now. Instead she ditches us to take a night stroll? That kid, geez…"

Reiko smiled, trying to make her expression as neutral as possible. "A-Ah, yeah! But she said she might be a while…"

"Hmm…" she hummed to herself. "I guess Hayashi-kun had more of an effect on her than I would've guessed… What is this, young love?" She laughed aloud at that, and Reiko joined in her laughter somewhat awkwardly. "Well anyway, it's time for her to come back. I'll go fetch her now. I'll be right back, Reiko-chan."

As she made to stand up, Reiko leaned forward and clasped her mother's hand. "Uh… You probably shouldn't do that, Masumi-tan…"

Masumi frowned at the girl. "Why is that?"

"Because…" Unable to find an adequate excuse, she rushed out, "Well, it's because of me, really. You see, I stole Daiki-tan's headband and Sadako found me with it, so she got up me and said that taking Daiki-tan's special headband would only make him angry – but I only took it so he would come back and visit again! I didn't mean to make him angry, dontcha know! So now…"

Masumi, who had remained silent, leaned forward and impatiently prompted, "So now?"

"So now Sadako has gone to give it back to him – but she said it was alright and that she could do it! She just didn't want you to freak out about her leaving, so I kept silent this whole time…" Reiko trembled when her mother's face began to turn thunderous. "B-But she should be back soon, Masumi-tan –"

"No. I'm going to get her now." Masumi stood. "She could have been hurt. She could be out there right now, alone in the darkness, unable to move because she's been attacked by a bear or a wolf or something equally terrible. What was she thinking!" As she turned away, a small hand reached out and snagged her wrist; she swung around. "Reiko-chan, please let me go – Reiko-chan?"

She saw that the girl wasn't looking at her at all; instead, her eyes were focused on something down the end of the hall that Hiroki had disappeared down. "Reiko, what is it?"

Masumi followed the girl's wide-eyed stare – and let loose an ear-piercing shriek of horror.

A single figure was shuffling towards them with halting steps, shrouded in darkness. At first she couldn't make out any individual details, but then the light from the lamp caught onto and illuminated the figure's face, and she screamed deafeningly again.

Hiroki was stumbling towards them with a wide, gaping throat, blood gushing from the fatal wound down his chest and onto the floor, where it formed large puddles. Masumi's eyes glued there, flaring at the amount of blood soaking the floorboards. She'd had no idea her husband's body could hold so much of it…

She stood frozen in fear as he finally halted, and it was then she realised that he wasn't in fact alone. He gurgled one last time and crumpled to the floor, where he lay twitching at the feet of a red-haired woman. In her hand was a bloody knife, which she brought to her mouth with a malicious smile. Behind her, two more figures stepped into the light, both wearing similar sinister grins.

She licked her husband's blood from the blade, moaning. "Hmm, delicious… For an old guy." Then she pointed the knife at the two remaining victims. "It makes me wonder what yours will taste like."


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:**

WARNING!

In this chapter - and the next - there is (at times extremely) disturbing content. This is where my M for mature rating is coming in; from this point on, there will be confronting writing/dialogue, and references to other disturbing content. If you cannot handle the Hurt/Angst and Tragedy aspects of this story, then I would advise you to discontinue reading, as there will always be references to disturbing content from here on. However, this will be the most brutal scene of my story (tragedy-wise) so if you can get through the next few chapters, then the rest of the story should be fine.

Please know that I do not take character deaths lightly, and writing this chapter was very hard for me; I couldn't even re-read it to edit. I just wrote down what was in my head and submitted it. The next chapter will be just as hard, if not harder. Also, know that I do not like to kill off characters for fun; everything I write is done so for a purpose, cold as that may seem. Whether or not you agree with that purpose in the end is up to you. But this will play a major role in the developing plot for this story.

That is all for the warning. Read at your own... Risk? Leisure? Whatever.

Now for the recommendations.

I know that some writer's on fanfic actually use music to help their reader's get into the scene or story, and for the first time I am going to try that as it does seem interesting. So for those who would like to try it, here is a list of recommended music to listen to while reading this chapter and the next:

-Tokyo Ghoul - Unravel (cheesy, I know, but it fits).

-Tokyo Ghoul - Unravel Acoustic (awesome).

-Full Dead Island Trailer Music (without effects; it's really quite emotional).

-Anne Bonny - The Parting Glass (next chapter).

-Extreme Music - Bring Me Back To Life.

-Sleeping With Sirens - Iris Cover (next chapter).

-Bluestahil - Ultranumb (if you like the less emotional stuff).

-Egoist - Departures Blessing (next chapter).

-Seether - Broken.

-Damien Rice - 9 Crimes.

Otherwise if you don't do music while you read - like me - then disregard this. I hope you enjoy the chapter... Or not.

* * *

 **Chapter Four:**

Sadako was halfway to the village when she heard it.

A blood-curdling scream.

It cut through the silence of the night with a sharpness that caused her body to jerk to a stop before she'd even processed what she'd heard. It was a horrible sound, and even though it was obviously far away, it was a scream of absolute terror. The hair on the back of her neck stood up in awareness – because she knew that voice.

Another shriek sounded.

Without a second thought, she spun around and sprinted in the direction from which she'd come. Her head was blank, devoid of thought in wake of the adrenaline that was rapidly pumping through her system – but not so much to clear the niggling suspicion that plagued the back of her mind. Her legs moved faster than they'd ever moved before under the weight of her anxiety. _Please, please… Please be okay!_ She ran for over fifteen minutes, until her throat ran dry and her breath refused to come, and cursed the fact that her body was waning under the immense strain. _Useless! Run faster!_

At last, and faint glow could be seen through the trees, and a moment later she emerged onto their farm. Breathing hard, she blinked away the blurriness in her eyes and frantically scanned her surroundings. There was nothing out of place on the outside of the cottage, but that didn't relieve her worries in the least. She huffed and continued her reckless flight to the front door, where she didn't even hesitate pushing it wide to rush in.

What she saw made her stomach plummet with shock.

On the floor, by the hallway leading to her bedroom, the unmoving form of Hiroki-chan was surrounded by a large pool of blood. The next thing her eyes processed was the kneeling, shivering forms of Masumi-chan and Reiko-chan. They were both staring at her with horror –the moment she burst into the room, Masumi began to sob with a helpless look in her eyes, while Reiko's eyes remained wide and unblinking. This, more than anything, poured fear into Sadako's already shot nerves.

The last, and perhaps most important thing she processed were the three strangers stationed throughout the room. One, a redheaded female, was standing above Masumi and Reiko, flipping a kunai over and over into the air with a wicked smirk. The two men behind her leered at Sadako's frozen form.

 _What… What the_ hell _is this?_

"W-Who're you –"

"S-Sadako!" Masumi sobbed. Her terrified eyes were filled with hysterical urgency. "R-Run! Run now, Sadako!"

Sadako blinked down at her mother, unable to understand. _She wants me to… leave her and Reiko…?_ She shook her head. "I can't, Masumi-chan –"

"Why're you just standing there! For Gods' sake, RUN!"

A snicker sounded from one of the men – and her brain got with the program. _I have to go get help! I have to save them!_

Sadako spun on her heel and sprinted back the way she'd come. The red-haired woman sighed, irritated. "How rude. I hadn't even introduced myself… Shinji, go fetch our runaway host."

Shinji gruned in acknowledgement, and Masumi watched in horrified captivation as he seemed to vanish into thin air. When the woman caught her staring at the space he'd just occupied, she chuckled darkly. "No need to worry about him, sweetheart. You've got some problems of your own…"

A minute later, Shinji came into the house dragging a flailing Sadako behind him by her long dark hair. She screamed loudly and kicked at his heels like a mad rabbit; when he came to a stop in the middle of the room, the man turned and backhanded her hard. Stunned, she fell silent for a moment. Her vision began to blur, but she blinked and it was clear again, and instead of being daunted by the blow, her adrenaline pumped even harder. She swung furiously at his face. The punch itself didn't do much, but her fingernail caught him above the eye; blood spurted, and the man cursed foully.

Masumi screamed as he began to rain down blow after blow on Sadako's small frame, fighting uselessly against the bonds holding her hands and ankles in place. Realising it was futile, she flopped down onto her stomach and began to crawl towards her daughter, screaming all the while. "Stop it! Stop! PLEASE, SHE'S GOING TO DIE!"

As she moved, the red-haired woman let out a high, cackling laugh that managed to pierce through Masumi's frantic mind. Grinning manically, she guffawed, "That's right, stupid bitch. Squirm like the little maggot you are! Try and stop him from hurting your maggot daughter! Come on, wriggle!" When Masumi just stared in revulsion, her grin turned into a hideous scowl of anger. She planted her foot on the mother's face, pressing down hard. "What's the matter? Can't do it? Your daughter needs you; if you don't hurry, she's going to die. You'd better start squirming!"

From her perch behind her mother, Reiko began to sob quietly, barely processing what was happening in front of her eyes. "S-Stop… Stop hurting Nee-chan…!"

The woman turned her head to fix her startlingly blue eyes on the young girl. "Did you say something, little maggot?"

Behind her, Shinji abruptly ceased his blows. Sadako rolled away and curled into a ball, coughing wretchedly and cringing from the pain in her stomach. _Ugh… I think he cracked one of my ribs…_

When she opened her eyes, the man – Shinji – was staring at the red-haired woman with a sick kind of glee in his eyes. It made her blood run cold. "Akane-san," he muttered in a low, pleading tone. Akane glanced back at him, assessing his features, but dismissed him with a huff.

"Wait your turn, Shinji. I'm having some fun first."

It was then Sadako realised what the woman was going to do.

With a surge of strength she hadn't realised she'd possessed, she pushed herself up onto her knees – hissing at the pain in her side – and finally made it to her feet. Before she'd even retained her balance, she tried to run to her little sister's aid. She made it three steps before a large hand closed around the back of her hand and slammed her face-first into the ground.

Blood spurted from her nose into her throat. She coughed over and over, struggling to breathe.

"My, my," Akane chuckled. "Seems I underestimated you a little. Not to worry, Mama-maggot – your daughter didn't need your pathetic attempt at a rescue after all. It seems she wriggles a lot more spiritedly than you." The woman stood and glanced down at Sadako, noting with a smirk the nasty glare directed her way. " _Tsk_ , that look is wasted on me, little girl."

"You're right," Sadako spat, black eyes filled with a vehemence that, for a brief moment, shook the woman out of her hostility. "I'll kill you myself. I swear upon my father's grave."

She stared at the girl with wide eyes. _Never in all my time as a rogue… have I seen such a look of hatred!_ A strange feeling was firing up in her chest; 'excitement', she realised with growing mirth. She was becoming _excited_ from the deep hatred in this little girl's eyes. _I want to see more…!_

"Your father?" she echoed. She gestured at the body lying almost completely drained of blood on the floor. "You mean this pathetic maggot?" When Sadako just stared, the woman threw back her head and laughed. "He didn't even put up a fight when he saw me standing behind him! He pissed himself as I ran my blade through his jugular! No one will be giving this maggot a funeral, let alone a grave!" She leaned down and murmured, so that only Sadako could hear, "I'm afraid all you'll have left of your precious father – who couldn't even protect his own family – is a pile of dusty ashes that will wash away with the next rainfall."

Sadako refused to flinch away from those piercing blue eyes. Instead, she asked haltingly, "What do you want with us?"

Akane seemed surprised by her question, and pouted with a disappointed expression – like a child who'd just had their favourite toy stolen. "Hey, why're you trying to end the fun so early? Ask me something more interesting!"

Suddenly, the man standing in the shadows spoke up. "Akane-san... Shouldn't we move things along?"

Like an electric shock had run through her, Akane straightened up from her crouch near Sadako and glanced uneasily at the figure in the corner. "Y-Yes. I… Think that's a good idea, after all."

She turned back to face Sadako, who tensed at the sudden fury twisting her features. "Girl! You want to know what we want from you?" When she slowly nodded, the woman smirked and asked in a sickly-sweet tone, "There was a man here earlier, wasn't there? Where'd he go?"

 _Sasuke-tan…_ Sadako was instantly wary. _What do they want with him?_

When she repeated the question out loud, the woman smirked again, but this time there was an edge that made Sadako wish she hadn't asked. "Let's just say, he owes us a small favour. Or rather, _owed._ He's a little late on the payment…"

"How late?" she asked, trying to keep the focus centred on her.

"About six years."

"S-Six years?" Sadako did the math – ended at _screwed_. "Does he… owe you much money?"

"Money?" the woman echoed, and then roared with laughter at Sadako's perplexed expression. "Ha! You're a stupid little maggot! You think we'd chase after someone like Sasuke _Uchiha_ for _money_?" Akane sashayed over to Sadako and leaned down to whisper, "The kind of thing that man possesses is something no one in the world can provide. Do you know what I'm saying, little maggot?"

She glared up at the insane redhead, staying silent while she processed the meaning behind the words. _Something only Sasuke-tan has…_ Her eyes widened in realisation. "You… want his Sharingan." It wasn't a question, but she answered with a wide grin. "You think you're strong enough to take Sasuke Uchiha's eyes?"

From her kneeling position closer to Reiko, Masumi frowned in confusion. "Sasuke… Uchiha?" She shook her head back and forth, eyes wide with dreadful realisation. "That's – that's not right! It can't be! The man who was here earlier said his name was – Oof!"

"Shut up, stupid bitch," Akane growled fiercely, lowering her foot from where it had just connected with Masumi's head. "Obviously, he lied. His name is Sasuke Uchiha!"

"No!" she shot back, pushing herself up again. "You're lying! Why would he show up here of all places?!"

"That's what we're trying to find out!" Akane almost screamed, successfully subduing the hysteric mother. "But I don't think I like your attitude, maggot!" She turned to her male companion. "Shinji, show this piece of shit some respect!"

Shinji glanced down at Masumi, and curled his lip in disgust – but his expression was resigned as he released Sadako and made his way over to her. The woman whimpered and frantically tried to back away, but he was on her in a heartbeat, backhanding her so hard she went crashing into the wall. Her scream of pain was cut short as he followed up with a vicious kick to her stomach – Sadako flinched in sympathetic pain.

"W-Wait! Stop it, please!" Suddenly Sadako was the helpless one; groaning against the pain, she got to her knees and tried to crawl to her mother.

Akane spoke up then, wiggling her finger admonishingly at Sadako. "I wouldn't, little maggot. If you go any further, I'll tell Shinji to snap her neck. Or maybe I'll bleed her like I did your father?"

She faltered. Blinked hard against the sudden tears that threatened. "What the hell do you want?"

She smirked again. "All in good time, little maggot. But first… Perhaps a little more incentive to loosen your tongue?" Akane nodded at Shinji, who stiffened and glowed with excitement. He ceased his relentless beating, and as his eyes fixed themselves to Reiko's trembling figure, Sadako felt her stomach twist.

 _No… No no no! Need to distract them!_

"Don't touch her – DON'T TOUCH HER! I'll tell you anything!" When her side heaved with a sharp twinge, she gasped, but didn't stop speaking. "Please. I'll tell you whatever you wanna know!"

Akane burst into a fit of laughter, throwing her head back and clapping her hands in twisted glee. "That's it! That's what I want! Squirm for me!" But she didn't stop Shinji from his advance, only guffawed some more.

As he drew closer to the smaller girl, Sadako realised something; these people… were genuine, authentic monsters. And they were going to kill her entire family right before her eyes.

The moment the thought penetrated her mind, she felt something inside of her shift. A burst of adrenaline, different to anything she'd ever known, blew from her gut down to her toes and then raced to settle in her brain. Sudden clarity invaded her senses, momentarily stunning her with possibilities. Before her buzzing eyes, a series of movements played out similarly to a game of Shogi – only this time, instead of having to think of a solution herself, it was already there for her. And she knew that if she executed the conjectured plan perfectly, she would likely save the lives of both Masumi and Reiko.

 _Strange… I wonder if I can do it?_

It all happened very fast.

Sadako ignored the pain in her side and shot up from the ground with a speed that caught the man by surprise. Suddenly she saw her opening, her window of opportunity; while his back was turned and Akane was busy snickering at her sister's hunched and terrified form, Sadako knew she would only have one shot to end all of this. Beside her, Masumi abruptly ceased sobbing, staring at her daughter through swollen eyes. Her daughter's dark eyes were flashing red with something akin to bloodlust. For an instant, their eyes locked – Masumi blinked once in shock, then nodded at her daughter.

 _Do it, Sadako… Kill him!_

She pounced on the bloodied Kunai that had been left unattended on the ground without notice, and without missing a beat, spun on her heel to slice the tendons in Shinji's Achilles heel. Then she followed up with a swift figure eight slicing motion to his knee and thigh, targeting the major arteries that were all of a sudden clear to her keen eyes. He howled in pain and dropped to the floor, but no amount of frantic clasping or applied pressure could stop the blood seeping through his large hands; he was bleeding out, and would soon be dead.

At least, that was how it was supposed to go.

But Sadako had missed two essential details; if not for the second, then perhaps the first would not have had an impact on the end result that was as plain to her as the current situation. The window above the kitchen counter was transparent, but also reflective. Still, his eyes only raised at the last second, meaning that if it hadn't been for the blood still leaking from her father's cold body, the man would be half-dead already and unable to hurt her family any further.

As it was, Sadako's infallible plan hadn't taken into account her immediate surroundings. Her foot intruded on barely a square-inch of blood, but it was enough. Shinji's rapt eyes raising to meet her abruptly flailing form in the reflective glass, and being a rogue ninja, his reflexes were honed nearly to perfection. As she brought the Kunai down in a vicious arc, she caught him above his injured eye, scoring him from brow to chin and taking his eye out with it. His piercing scream of pain shocked her senses, and she hesitated on the second strike.

That was her third miscalculation.

The right hook came from nowhere, but it was so strong that it sent her flying a good ten feet before her back met the wood from the front door. She knew, with the newly-acquired stunning clarity, that her jaw was broken, and the rib which had previously pained her was now completely broken from the impact. Perhaps two. The reason she knew about her rib was because breathing became little more than a whistle through her mouth, and she could no longer move at all.

"Sadako!" her mother screamed.

' _I'm alright,'_ she wanted to say, but the words wouldn't come.

"Sadako! Sadako! Sadako!"

"Dammit!" Akane hissed. She seized the struggling Shinji by the neck and threw him to the floor, kneeling over him to press her palm to his eye. A green glow came from her hand, and she cursed again as he flailed more, raising her simmering blue eyes to glare at the crumpled girl.

"You stupid maggot! I'll kill you – _what the fuck?!"_

The woman was staring at her in shock, but Sadako barely noticed; her eyes were too busy processing the mysterious figure that chose that moment to step out of the shadows. He was large, larger even than Shinji. As he stepped into the light, Sadako noticed that his hair was completely white, almost silver. She couldn't make out his eyes, hidden by the shadows thrown from his deep-set brow, but nevertheless she knew they would be immobilizing if he fixed them upon her. For some reason, everything in her was rebelling against this stranger who was more frightening than any person in the room.

The man crouched before her, his large build obscuring most of the room, but still she couldn't see his eyes completely. _Why is it so dark where his eyes are…?_ Still, she knew he was staring into her eyes, and she was helpless to do anything but sit there. Blinking was out of the question.

From behind him, Akane spoke up in a voice that was thin and lacking any of her previous viciousness. "Fukisawa-sama… What do we do now?"

The man studied her for a moment longer, then turned his head to say over his shoulder, "The debt has been repaid."

Akane blinked in shock, the glow disappearing from her hand. "W-What?"

"We have what we need," he explained in an even tone. "We no longer need to pursue Sasuke Uchiha." But there was a tilt to his mouth that suggested he was displeased about something. "Akane. Come over here and fix this girl's jaw; I need her to talk."

"B-But Fukisawa-sama, Shinji's eye is –"

"It can wait."

She closed her mouth and bowed a little, abandoning her wounded comrade to crouch near Sadako. Reaching forward, she firmly clasped her head on one hand and her jaw in another, and Sadako finally realised that was about to happen. Before she could formulate a noise, the green glow started up again and Akane wrenched her hands together.

An agonised scream ripped from her throat. Akane grunted in irritation and slapped her now-free hand over the girl's mouth, muffling her groans. "Shut up. You'll feel better soon."

But Sadako was floating in a sea of pain, thoughts jumbling together and muddling her ability to process. A few minutes later the pain in her jaw lessened, but her side was flaring up worse than ever thanks to all the breathing she was doing. The red-haired woman sat back then, face pale and palms trembling. Fukisawa nodded at her once, and she returned to her comrade's aid.

"Now," he began in a deep and powerful voice, "Explain to me how you came to be here."


End file.
